Pope Francis Personally Invites Youth To Ecumenical Event On The National Mall

Forty well-known speakers, authors and leaders joined for a day of unified prayer and worship

Author: Caitlin Bootsma | Source: ZENIT (https://zenit.org)

(ZENIT, July 1, 2016).- Pope Francis is known for his desire to build bridges between people of all different religions and traditions. Now, he is asking American youth to come and encounter Christ with thousands (perhaps a million) other youth of various denominations on the National Mall on July 16.

The Pope took the time to record a personal message asking youth to participate, joining 40 well-known speakers, authors and leaders for a day of unified prayer and worship.

In the message, he says “Young men and women, I know there is something in your heart that moves you. And that makes you restless, because a young person who is not restless is an old person. And you have youthfulness, and youthfulness breeds restlessness. What is your restlessness? Do you know what it is or do you not know? Do you want to know what your restlessness is? I invite you to a great gathering of youth in Washington, D.C. to find the one who can give you an answer to your restlessness.”

The event is run by PULSE, a student-led evangelism movement that is hoping that 1 million people will gather on the 16th to celebrate their mutual love of Christ.

Founder of Pulse Nick Hall explains, “That Pope Francis would choose to speak about this historic day is a testament to the urgency and the need for followers of Jesus to unite in prayer for our nation and our world. We are humbled and honored by his involvement and are eager to share his invitation to Together 2016.”

But why now? What is it about 2016 that particularly calls for a gathering of this enormity?

“The times call for this moment,” says Hall. It is time to gather on a large scale and draw our attention back where it really matters. Our hope and help are found in Jesus, not in political leaders. We are going to come together, seek God, pray for our nation and pray for unity. Our goal is to gather as a unified front, seeking Jesus and change for our nation through prayer and worship.”

Along with this opportunity to pray and to meet youth from all different backgrounds, PULSE will provide more than 10,000 service opportunities within a 100-mile radius of Washington, D.C. during the week before and after Together2016.

The Pope finishes his message by saying, “…And I assure you, you will not be frustrated. God does not leave anyone disillusioned. Jesus is waiting for you. He is the One who planted the seeds of restlessness in your heart. Give it a try! You don’t have anything to lose. “